Gluten Free Cauliflower Cheese

Here is the first of our brand new recipes for 2013, we make this for the entire family as it is completely indistinguishable from 'normal' cauliflower cheese and tastes absolutely wonderful!

Preparation Time -  30 minutes
Cooking time - 25 minutes
Makes / Serves - 4 portions
Child friendly - 1/5
Difficulty rating - 3/5

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower
70 g gluten free plain flour alternative
50 g butter (or good quaility 'spreadable')
450 ml milk (any except skimmed)
150 ml stock (the water the cauliflower is cooked in)
90 g cheddar cheese (whatever strength you prefer)
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets as evenly as possible.
2. Boil the cauliflower in a large pan until tender (10-15 minutes), drain well and set aside 150 ml of the stock water for later use.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / Gas Mark 6.
4. Place the florets into a medium sized oven proof dish (we use a lasagne dish) and set aside.
5. Now it's time to make the cheese sauce. Over a low heat, melt the butter in a medium sized pan, then remove from the heat and stir in the flour to make a smooth paste. 
6. Return to the heat and gradually stir in the milk, mixing well after each addition.
7. Stir the sauce continuously until the mixture thickens, which can take several minutes.
8. Add the stock, salt, and black pepper to the pan and mix well.
9. Add around two thirds of the cheese, mix well and remove from the heat.
10. Pour the sauce evenly over the cauliflower and then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
11. Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

Tips:

1. If the sauce has not thickened enough after 5-6 minutes you might need to add an extra 5 g of flour, it really depends on the flour used, don't be afraid to add more if you feel it's needed.
2. Cauliflower cheese is often served as a meal in itself, to make it a more well rounded meal you could grill 6-8 rashers of streaky bacon before starting the recipe, cut them into small pieces and mix into the sauce just before pouring over the cauliflower.